


Contingency

by DefectedCat



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: AU, Action & Romance, Action/Adventure, Dystopia, F/F, F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-21
Updated: 2018-08-07
Packaged: 2019-06-14 01:01:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 15,116
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15377265
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DefectedCat/pseuds/DefectedCat
Summary: AU. 2076; In a world long overrun by corrupted AI, chance meetings between stray survivors lead to something nearly forty-five years overdue – a revolution.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hana and McCree are probably gonna be the main squad for a while until Hanzo and Brig and everyone else shows up o7
> 
> More relationships like Pharmercy and others will come up later when I decide how and when to implement them

There’s a gun lying abandoned a few feet from the man’s body, resting serenely in a pool of blood. She doesn’t hesitate; stooping down, she takes the weapon in her hand, stroking a thumb over the faded carbon paint and smearing the blood across the metal. There’s no noise of disgust, no grimace to portray her feelings.

Her eyes dart across the street, barely able to catch a last glimpse of the retreating figure, it’s robotic gait recognizable from a mile away. It would be back, soon – they never left corpses behind. Her gaze returns to the body beneath her, hand tucking the pistol into her back pocket, reveling in the comfort of the cool metal pressing against the thin fabric of her jeans.

 The man’s clothing is torn to shreds. She never saw what happened, but her hearing was acute and imagination vivid. She can remember hearing the exact number of shots that were fired from the pistol, hearing the short silence after he missed every bullet and the exact moment when the man realized he was – indubitably – fucked. She can imagine the exact moment he twisted on his heel to run away, as his attacker raised it’s arm, unloading round after round into him even though he’d died the minute he hit the floor.

 It takes some effort to drag her eyes from the blood, instead looking past the body, into the shadows of the alley. There’s a couple of discarded bags, as if someone had seen what was happening and booked it the minute the first shot went off. That means he hadn’t been alone.

 And if she knew that...then so did the Omnic that killed him.

  _It had went for reinforcements._

 Just as the weight of the realization sinks in, all it takes is the first telltale sign of a ship above her head to get her sprinting. Over the body, past the bags, through the hole in the rusted chain link fence and across the street as fast as she could manage. She barely manages to clear the jump through the shattered glass door of the battery station and avoid stumbling, her hands scrambling for purchase on the check-out counter. The sound is much louder now, grating on her ears. Metal grinding on metal, landing gear being unfolded from beneath the giant anomaly in the sky. She never stuck around to see what came out of these ships—she’d never even seen them from more than a few miles away, but being able to peer through the window and in between the crack of the buildings grants her more than enough insight to her questions.

It looks human, but she knows better. If it weren’t for the dark cover of night, she wouldn’t be able to see the dim red glow of the thing’s body, dotting it’s arms and face and legs. When it bends down to examine the corpse, she nearly yelps when it suddenly swings it’s head around towards her. She slams herself against the wall, holding in a grunt from the abrupt impact and holding her hands over her mouth.

She could handle blood, she could handle death.

But the absolute _horror_ Hana felt when she swore it’s cold, soulless eyes were focused directly on her...it had sent one of the most painful shivers she’d ever experienced down her spine.

So she doesn’t dare move. There’s no telling just how amazing their hearing was, or knowing how many upgrades they’ve given themselves over the years. She half expects them to have some kind of thermal vision and spot her through the walls anyway, but after a few minutes of controlled breathing, the ship kicks up again with a metallic scream and soars back to the middle of the city.

She slouches forward, exhaling shakily. She’s seen them numerous times, but she’d never been _that_ close to being discovered. It was the only thing that petrified her; getting caught and not knowing how they were going to kill her – would it be like the man she found earlier, gunned down on sight? Would they kill her without any weapons, making it slow? Or would they take her away, never to be seen again, like her parents-?

Suddenly, the pressure of the gun pressing against her leg seems very real. Reaching for the counter, she pulls herself up and draws the pistol out. She has no idea how to use a gun, much less what bullets it specifically needs. Her finger brushes over the back of it, feeling multiple lines etched into the metal. She turns it in her hands, counting them.

Twenty-seven lines. Was that the number of kills the man had made? Omnic kills? Human kills?

After a minute, she decides not to dwell on it, instead opting to check how much ammunition remained. After fumbling with it for a while, it’s revealed that there are only four shots left. Sighing through her nose, she slides it back into her pocket and glances out the window. It would still be some hours before sunrise, so she’d have plenty of time to look around before she’d have to head back to her hideout.

Minding the broken glass still littering the floor beneath the doors, she scans the street for any movement. When she finds none, she shuffles along the side of the building and ducks into the alley, taking the back way around the city. Seeing as she still had time, there was somewhere she wanted to go – needed to go – somewhere she hadn’t been in a very long time.

She hardly remembers the route, finding herself more often than not at random street corners and dead ends, throwing herself behind buildings to avoid being seen by wandering Omnics. Her heart feels like it’s going to burst, anxiety snaking it’s way into her mind and hindering her movements. It scared her, the excitement and fear of being caught; but she _had_ to check. She had to see if anything had changed.

Judging by the calendar on her wall – which she made sure to mark _every_ day – this was the exact day that she’d last been with her parents, before they were carted off. She told her self, every year, on this day, that’d she’d come back. It made her sleep better in the mornings, knowing that she was trying.

She leaned against a wall as she caught her breath. It wasn’t far now, judging by the familiar smell hanging in the air. It was as if someone lit a bonfire for her arrival every year, as it never failed to announce it’s presence when she visited. Crinkling her nose a little, she pushed off the wall and reached above her, pulling down the retractable ladder and wincing when it uttered a small groan of protest.

Climbing was quick and easy, having had enough practice scaling walls to avoid packs of hungry dogs and the rare near-encounters with Omnics. She eventually found herself perched at the edge of the rooftop, looking down to the street below.

There was the wall; decently sized, maybe the size of almost ten people stacked on top of one another – surrounding the entire city. Here, was one of the exits to get _out_ of it. Every other time she came here, it was flooded with Omnics. If you squinted, you could usually see the ones in turret form hidden behind gate corners, ready to fill any intruders with holes the second they showed their head.

But today, it was almost deserted.

Hana’s heart skipped a beat.

“One, four...five, ohmygod there's only _five_ today?” Her fingers clenched around the stone railing she presently leaned over, anticipation causing her leg to bounce. This could be her _chance –_ her chance to do what her parents couldn’t.

It reminded her of five years ago. She finally understood why her father had been so desperate about checking the gate that day.

There was a reason the Omnics weren’t present that one fateful night, and there was defintely a reason they weren’t out in full force tonight either – but she couldn’t care less at the moment. The allure of freedom and the chance to grab it were too much to pass up.

A quick glance at the sky showed she still had a couple hours to spare before the first light came, allowing her enough time to head back, gather her meager belongings and slide past the thin security.

There weren’t any gunners squatting behind corners that she could she see – and she had a very good vantage point – and the ones who were near the gate were either staring off into space or presumably conversing among themselves in their silent language. Either way, they were clearly distracted, and distracted was just what she needed.

She hurried back to the ladder, taking two steps at a time and nearly bending her finger in half in haste as it got caught on one of the landings, but she didn’t slow down. She jumped from the last few steps and landed lightly on the ground, barely making a sound as she jogged back the way she’d came. She had bunked on the highest floor of one of the smaller hotels, taking comfort in knowing that if anyone searched through it or tried to follow her up, they’d have to be prepared to scale multiple flights of stairs to get to her.

As it was, she was able to make it to the top in minutes, not a breath out of place as she burst into the door at the very end of the hall, too worked up to acknowledge the lamp she had just sent rolling across the floor at her entrance. There was a backpack leaning against her bed, still filled with her latest loot from the convenience store a few miles away. She tugged at the zipper, opening the bag and viewing the contents. A few cans here and there, a slightly dull knife to open them with, and a few bottles of water and some bottled juices that had their labels peeled off. She silently thanks the development of advanced preservatives for keeping the food edible as long as it had and zips the pack closed again, throwing it around her shoulders.

She’s rummaging through the closet for anything she might’ve forgotten when the windows start to rattle, the floor shaking slightly below her. She tenses, half-crouched, eyes scrunched closed as she waits for the ship overhead to pass. It must’ve been a big one – some kind of battle ship, no doubt. Something was definitely happening here, and it was best to get out of there as soon as she could.

Confident now that she knows she’s left nothing behind, she zips up her jacket and descends the stairs, adjusting the pack over her shoulder when it slides a bit after jumping down the last few steps. She stops at the doors, hand hesitating over the pistol in her back pocket. After a moment’s thought, she fishes it out and flicks what she thinks is the safety, nodding to herself at the quiet _click_ that rewards her for her efforts. Keeping it safe in hand, she nudges her way out with her free shoulder and takes a slower pace back to the border. She needed a plan.

The Omnics that were guarding the gate were generic, seen every-day builds. They weren’t nearly as intelligent as the other types, like she’d had a hefty experience with earlier.

These ones were easy to fool and even easier to avoid. The gate was a whole new problem, however. She had no idea how it worked. She’d seen it open, once. The day she’d been with her parents.

From what she could remember, there hadn’t been anyone physically there to touch it, or utter any kind of command prompt. It was probably linked from somewhere in the city, opened directly from some other source; which meant she’d have to _make_ them open it...or give them a reason to.

The smell of a burning fire reached her nostrils again and she instinctively clung to the walls, peering around the building to assess her options. She was close – she had to think fast.

She could throw something over the wall, maybe? Something heavy to make enough noise on the other side?

...Probably not. It was far too high and she wasn’t a good pitcher.

Her grip subconsciously tightens on the gun in her hand, tongue running over her lips in thought.

Then it strikes her.

She eyes the roof next to her, tracing the distance between it to the gate. She could jump it, probably. If she had enough speed, and a strong enough push, she’d be able to clear it by a few inches, at least. The bag on her back might weigh her down a little, though.

But she has to try.

Shimmying over to the other building, she climbs the black staircase leading up to the roof and walks to the edge. It’s a medium-sized gap. If her legs were any shorter she most likely wouldn’t have had a chance. At least, with the small amount of security below her, they wouldn’t see her fly over and might even ignore the sound of her impact.

She backs up to the ladder again, digging her heels into the stone beneath her and letting herself breathe; calm. She was calm, she was okay, she could _do_ this.

There wouldn’t be another chance.

So she runs. The edge is already approaching, adrenaline coursing through her veins and hastening her pace, shoes kicking up stray debris behind her.

And then she jumps.

Her hands are the only part of her that make it over. Her knees slam into the metal barrier and she can’t stop the cry of pain that comes with it.

Her fingers desperately try to pull herself up, painfully kicking her legs as she scrambles to get a hold on the smooth texture of the wall with her shoes. There’s a sound below her and she _knows_ it has to be them, they heard her yell and they were going to shoot her down any minute and why haven’t they _done it yet-_

Suddenly, there’s silence. She didn’t realize she had her eyes shut tightly closed as she slowly opens them, looking to her left. Orange, red. That was all she could see – a tower of billowing flames to the west – and that’s when the deafening ring fills her ears, a burst of wind nearly loosening what little hold they had left on the gate.

Something had exploded, something _big_. Her eyes dart below her, her entire body tensing and ready to scream bloody murder, when she realizes.

The Omnics, who were about to fill her with lead, were just standing there.

Guns aimed and ready, but not firing.

None of their usual life signs were there; the glowing eyes, legs, body. There was nothing but empty, dark metal.

One of them falls forward, hitting the ground with a _thump._

_What the hell?_

She stares for a few seconds before mentally kicking herself in the head. She had no _time_ to stay and figure out what the hell had just happened. She had to _go_.

The worn rubber of her shoes finally propel her up the last couple of inches and then she’s standing on top of the gate, level with the building she had leaped off of from and the last thing she sees is the enormous billow of smoke coming from the center of the city and one of the Omnics on the ground start to move, and then she’s gone.

 

* * *

 

 

It was a good thing the back side of the wall was built like a ramp. It saved her even more pain in her knees, which were already throbbing with every step she took.

And since the other side of the border sanctioned off the beginning of a highway, and even though she was hurt, she still had _a lot_ of ground to cover. And that meant she had to get moving as soon as she could. Besides, she doubted the Omnics would take long to remember what they had been doing and try to come after her.

This notion makes her walk a little faster, her feet moving around a car that had been turned upside down in the middle of the road. It’s wheels were turned sideways, and as she passed it, she allows herself to let her thoughts wander as a distraction. Her father had once told her all about how the cars used to hover off the ground, how the majority of them were battery powered instead of fuel dependent. He used to talk about how her grandparents owned one of the more sought after luxurious brands, and how often her father used to promise that he’d take her for a spin when the world was ‘alright’ again.

It was took about an hour of comfortable memories, getting her breath back to a normal pace, and her nails to stop digging into her skin before she realized what she’d just gone through, and the shock and excitement clutched her once more with a vice-like grip. But this time, she couldn’t stop the triumphant grin that spread across her lips, or the giggle that slipped past them.

 _She actually did it. She actually_ escaped.

Four years ago, the last time an escape had been attempted, had been with her parents.

The grin then turns her lips into a thin line, her brows furrowing slightly.

She could remember clearly what had happened that night; remember every word uttered and the complete defeat she’d felt when the sun rose that morning, leaving her sitting alone in an empty apartment room mulling over the worth of her existence.

“ _It’s been more than twenty-_ six _years! I_ know _their security has dwindled by now. We_ have _to go check; this could be our_ chance! _” With her father adamantly claiming this, it didn’t take long for her previously hesitant mother to succumb to his hopeful ideas and allow herself and her daughter to be dragged to the checkpoint._

_Her arguments had fallen on deaf ears, anyway._

_Night was almost over when they reached it, crouched behind piles of shredded belongings. Hana grimaced at a suitcase full of musty old clothing when her mother said something quietly to her father._

“ _How many are there?"_

 _Her father pulled his head back from around the corner, a cocky grin on his face. “I knew it. There’s not a single one. I_ told _you, there’s no way they would waste this many years guarding the same spot. They obviously think they’ve cleared everyone out.”_

_Her mother’s eyes widened in brief shock, then she smiled, genuine excitement showing broadly in her expression. “I’m sorry I ever doubted you. What’s the plan?” Her hand had grabbed Hana’s while she spoke, giving them a reassuring squeeze._

_The man was about to say something when there was a loud_ slam, _something shifting at the gate. Her father peered over again, shock evident. “Wait...they’re opening the gate.”_

_Her mother immediately let go of Hana’s hand, joining her husband at his side. “What? What for?”  
_

_Her father growled something to himself, then pointed. “That.”_

_Hana watched, open-mouthed, as a truck rolled through the gate, nearly skimming the top with it’s massive size. It was mounted with guns, some kind of container strapped heavily to the back with thick leather._

_Something was banging from inside of it. Pop. Pop._ Pop.

_A scream._

“ _There’s people in there.” Hana whispered, voice cracking._

_Her father tensed, knuckles turning white from the grip he had on his knee._

_Her mother looked at him knowingly. “Don’t.”_

“ _...I’m not going to leave them there.”_

“ _You have to. We don’t know them, we have no connection with them. We have ourselves and we have_ Hana _, and we need to_ leave, _right now.”_

_He’s silent for a moment, staring at the truck that simply sat there, the banging from the container growing louder and louder._

“ _I’m sorry, I can’t. I have to.” He turns around, grabbing his wife by the shoulders. “Stay here, don’t move – I’ll be quick. There’s no one around right now. You know I’ll be fine.”_

“ _What about the_ driver? _”_

“ _It’s definitely remote controlled – and it’s definitely waiting for someone to come pick it up.” He pauses, then looks at Hana. “Stay with your mother.”_

_He stands, ready to book it to the back of the truck, when his wife rises with him. “I’m coming with. It’ll be faster with two.”_

_He looks like he’s ready to argue, glaring down at her, but she interrupts."_ _I_ _f you argue now, then I won’t let you leave at all.”_

_It’s an empty threat, but he subsides after a period of silence. “Fine.” He sends a hesitant smile at Hana, one last time. “Wait here.”_

_And then they’re gone, running for the truck and disappearing around the back. Her father raps on the door, and Hana hears him say something, but she’s too far to hear what it was._

_The incessant banging on the side of the carrier finally stops as he gets to work on the door, cutting through the straps agonizingly slow with his pocket knife._

_And then, from the corner of her eye, Hana spots it. It’s dark, black metal is accented with an orange glow. Her heart plummets to the bottom of her stomach, and she feels like vomiting. She knows what’s about to happen, and before she can do it herself, her mother screams, waving at it feverishly._

_Her father ceases his cutting immediately and instead draws out his gun, aiming it at the head of the thing. “Back the fuck up!”_

_The Omnic’s dim, orange glow suddenly turns red, and a high pitched whine fills the air, causing Hana to grab at her ears in pain. She can barely register the sound of the gate slamming shut behind her parents, her vision blurry as she watches them get wrestled down from behind by a new pair of reinforced metal arms. The straps on the back of the door fall apart and it opens with ease, as if her father hadn’t been pouring all his effort into wrenching it open himself. She can see hands – human hands – trying desperately to push past the small opening, but one of the Omnics raises it’s gun, helpfully built into its arm – and fires. There’s a chorus of pain filled shrieks and horrified screams, before it falls silent again._

_When she lifts her face from behind her knees, the door is closed and her parents are gone._

_The truck drives away, a small trickle of red dripping from underneath the door._

Her head abruptly snaps up from it’s lolled position, and then she’s glancing around at her surroundings. There’s the faint taste of bile in her mouth and she grimaces, running her tongue over her lips. She really needed to stop reminding herself of what had happened. It made her nauseous every time, and she couldn’t afford to stop and collect herself.

Her hands find themselves inside her jacket pockets, fumbling with the gun she’d shoved in there before the jump. She had to focus on the Now.

She had many questions that needed answering.

Where was she going to go? Beyond her small section of the city, she had no idea what the outside world was like. At least so far, there were no Omnics hiding in cars or behind the few trees that stood along the road, but she wasn’t going to let down her guard just yet.

She looked up. The sky was breaking into a mix of orange and yellow, the sun climbing it’s way to the top. Back in the city, she always slept during the day and made her move at night, where it was harder to get spotted and easier _to_ spot the glowing robotic threats; but seeing as there was no where to sleep besides inside the cars on the road, and the fact that it was imperative she gain as much distance between her and the city as she could, she continued on her way.

A few minutes passed in silence. She was so deep in thought, that she was roughly shaken out of her minding when something ran in front of her, small and white and fast. She jumped back in surprise, and probably would’ve fallen on her rear if she didn’t have decent balance.

Whatever it was stopped at the edge of the road, turning its head and looking at her curiously. It had two long ears on it’s head, a twitching nose, and red eyes.

In a way, it looked both cute and demonic, and Hana found herself tilting her head back at it.

“What are _you?_ ”

She hadn’t seen very many animals in her life, except for the stray cat or dog, maybe a few birds here and there – she had heard about others like deer, cows, sheep, and something about rabbits from her parents – but she could never really picture what they actually looked like.

The creature stood there for a moment more, then turned and went back on its merry way, diving into a cluster of tall grass and disappearing from sight.

She stared after it a while longer, before ultimately shrugging it off and continuing on her walk. She’d keep the creature in mind. If she could find some paper later on, she’d probably draw it and go looking for books or something about it when she had the chance. Reading and learning new things were her favorite pass times, and that would probably never change.

After a while, she noticed that the road was beginning to divide itself. One way leading towards a more dense cluster of trees, and one that probably would take her all the way to the next city. She took the third option; tired of the same consistent scenery, she cut the walk short and hiked off the road, heading into the woods itself.

It was a welcome change, the flowers and grass were tall and the roots entwined with each other, giving her a serene feeling. If she could, she’d have probably lived here. But she didn’t see any fruit growing on the trees or a stream nearby, so she’d just have to count this as a shortcut and hope that there was something on the other side.

After a few hours of trudging through increasingly annoying tangles of roots and thick brush, she stood still, staring up at the trees above her in exasperation. It could’ve passed for night, had she no relative concept of time. The trees grew thicker and thicker the further she went, blocking out any and all sun that tried to shine through them. It also suddenly didn’t seem so appealing anymore when every few minutes she heard things running along the branches, leaves falling on her every now and then from their scuttling.

She just hoped nothing up there was carnivorous.

Now, she was in the middle of deciding whether or not it was worth it to stop for now and rest, when out of nowhere, there was a gunshot. Just a single bullet, but loud enough to cause the birds to fly away in primal panic and for Hana to duck behind the nearest tree, her heart trying to lunge through her chest from the surprise. She didn’t even register that her lip was bleeding from where she’d habitually bit down on it to keep noise down.

She peered around the tree, scanning the clearing. The shot had sounded extremely close, as if it had come from a few feet beyond the black abyss of trees before her. She sunk a little lower, pulling her jacket’s hood over her head and drawing out her gun with her other hand. The black cloth made her blend in perfectly with the shadows, filling her with confidence as she slunk around the tree, staying low enough to avoid the tiny shafts of light that were only just now managing to peek through the branches overhead.

She didn’t want a confrontation. Omnic or human, she would avoid them either way; she only wanted to spot their location and move around them accordingly. She personally hadn’t spoken to anyone in years, and she didn’t plan on starting now.

As she crept forward, the trees began to split, limiting her cover. Beyond them, all she could see was blinding, eye-blistering light. But as she got closer, a large, green field came into view.

She squinted. There was nothing that she could _see,_ but she could definitely hear something. A voice, mumbling quietly to themselves. It was too quiet to hear what they were saying, but she could make out where their general direction was – so she took a step forward, fully intending to take a wide berth around them.

“Don’t move.”

It was a man – the deep tone betrayed them – and the emotion, the _malice_ in those words could never come from an Omnic.

Hana froze, and stayed crouched, even when her leg was slowly becoming sore from her stretched posture. Her previously calmed heart started raging once more, anxiety crawling its way up her throat. Could he see her? Did she make too much noise? Where _was_ he?

“Well, you stopped. S’pose you’re human, then. Long as you don’t point anythin’ at me, like this _dumb ass_ did, you’re alright to come on out.” There was a slight drawl there, some kind of accent. In any other circumstance she would’ve found it incredibly amusing, but now, she pushed her gun into the safety of her jacket and walked out, revealing herself to the man leaning nonchalantly against a rock, a hat drawn over his eyes and something hanging out of his mouth. Beside him lay an unpowered Omnic, face down with a hole through it’s head.

She shivered - so they _did_ come out this far.

Returning her attention to him, she balked.

To her, he looked absolutely ridiculous. His outfit made him seem like he was _begging_ to be shot at, dressed in bright red as he was. Something on his belt reflected the sun and almost blinded her, but she ignored it when the man spoke up again.

“You come from the city?"

Hana managed a glare.

The man grinned, pushing his hat above his eyes and meeting her gaze evenly. “Relax, I ain’t gonna hurt ya – ‘less you try it first, but I’d like to see ya try, anyway. Have a seat, I ain’t mean to kids.”

Her answer came before she could stop it. “I’m _nineteen,_ I’m not a kid.”

The man didn’t look surprised at her outburst. “Right, and I’m thirty-seven, so to me, you’re a kid.”

Hana’s glare didn’t waver, and she was feeling increasingly uncomfortable every minute she spent in the presence of this man. Whatever he’d shot the Omnic with, he had terrifyingly uncanny aim. She didn’t want to end up finding herself on the receiving end of his barrel.

He was about to open his mouth to say something else when the all-too familiar sound of metal grating on metal filled the air, the ground vibrating softly below them.

“Get down, _now._ ” He hissed, gun drawn and aimed at the sky.

 _Like that will do anything._ She thinks, as she hits the ground anyway.

She could barely see it from her vantage point, but the thing was _enormous._ Easily the size of twenty normal ships put together, probably more. There were smaller carrier ships attached to it, with giant guns mounted on each side. At this point, she couldn’t tell if it was a battle ship or a transport ship, and she really didn’t want to know where it was going to land.

The man seemed to have the same idea as she did, because as soon as it passed he packed up his bag and stood, spitting out whatever had been in his mouth and looking east. He looked worried, which was a strange look on someone like him.

After a few seconds, he turned his attention back to her. “You _did_ come from the city, right? Is that where it’s headed?”

Hana picked herself up, adjusting the straps of her pack behind her. She processed his question, then replied. “Probably, I don’t know for sure.”

He grunted, giving her a once over. “I don’t know how you got out. Shit’s crawlin’ with ‘em fuckers.” He lightly kicks the empty husk at his feet, pondering.

She gives a lighthearted shrug, watching him move around the body and point himself towards the field.

He sniffs, pauses, and turns to leave, but then he stops, hands hesitating at his side.

A moment’s silence, and then: “You a good shot?”

She raises a brow, annoyance morphed into confusion. “Uh...why?”

He shrugged. “In my experience, it’s better to have someone watchin’ your back. Never know when you’re gonna get hit from behind.”

She scoffs. “Are you suggesting, that you want me...a _kid,”_ she nearly spits the word, “whom you’ve only just met, to come with you?”

As if it proved him any, he looks down at the Omnic and she follows his gaze.

“I’m a hell of a good shot. We could help each other out there – and I ain’t gonna try anythin’ with ya, I can promise you. You’re, uh, not my _preference_ , anyway.”

He pauses awkwardly, then, “Honestly, I haven’ seen anyone _alive_ for a couple months now, and I’ll take whatever I can get.”

His scuffs his shoe into the ground when she doesn’t reply, thinking.

Then, with a quiet sigh, he holds out a hand, lips curving into a genuine smile. “McCree, Jesse McCree.”

Hana looks up from the ground, eyeing it warily. She was only being given seconds to think.

Should she go with him?

She’d seen other people besides her parents, of course. They weren’t common, but they weren’t rare, either. But all of the ones she’d seen had either been _dead_ or radiating an unhealthy vibe, convincing her to stay far away from them.

McCree didn’t have any sort of feel to him, which made her cautious...but not _entirely_ afraid.

She could use a guide, as well. She had no idea where she was going, no idea how to defend herself except for a few physical defense moves she’d learned from her father when she was little, which were things that would only work against _people_ – so she really had no reason to refuse.

Her fingers twitch hesitantly, before she finally reaches for his hand, placing it limply in his.

“Hana…Hana Song.”


	2. Chapter 2

After traveling with the guy for a whole of three hours, Hana comes to realize that Jesse isn’t actually that bad.

He’s a lot more chatty than she originally thought. He talked about anything and everything, only going silent when he raised his fist and gestured for her to crouch. She didn’t question it, anymore – he was obviously much more experienced out here than her.

Currently, he was just finishing telling her about what he’d been doing before he found her (she’d kind of tuned out half way through. Something about taking an old battery out of a crashed hover car and putting it into another one and running over _at least_ six different Omnics in his haste to the city before he crashed into the field.)

“Why were you going to the city?” Hana asks.

“I needed bullets.” He answers simply, digging his gun out of his pocket (which he’d fondly named ‘Peacekeeper’.) “But when I saw your state, I realized there’s always other places I can scavenge.” He turns his head, not quite looking at her. “How did you get out of there, anyway?”

“I jumped.”

She almost slams face-first into his back when he suddenly stops. She looks up, noticing his quizzically arched brow.

“Yeah, that’s not really…explainin’ anythin’.”

Hana shrugs. “Have you seen the walls around the city?”

Jesse shakes his head as he continues walking. “Nope. Never even been near ‘em.”

“Well, they’re pretty big. About the size of one of the common buildings. So I thought, ‘hey, why not jump from the _building_ to the _wall?’_ ”

Jesse chuckled. “Balls of steel, there. Not to fond of heights myself.”

Hana smiled lightly. “Yeah, neither am I. But it was a one-time opportunity, y’know? They weren’t out in force like they usually were.” When Jesse doesn’t respond, she continues. “And there was this...weird thing I’ve never seen happen before.”

“’N what’s that?”

Hana thinks for a minute, biting her lip. “I’ve seen explosions before,” she starts, “nothing too big or dramatic, and the Omnics never really seemed to give a shit when they happened. But this morning, there was a _huge_ one. I’m talking, like, colossal. And right when it happened, the Omnics just... _dropped_. Like, their lights went out and everything. Honestly, If that hadn’t happened, I probably wouldn’t even be standing here-”

This time, she _does_ run into Jesse’s back.

She backs up, holding her nose with a hand as he turns to her, unperturbed.

There’s an almost maniacal grin on his face as he grabs her by the shoulders. “You’re _sure_ they went down _after_ the explosion?”

Hana doesn’t move, uncomfortable with the sudden contact. “U-uh, yeah. Why?”

He releases her, much to her relief, and holds a hand underneath his chin in contemplation. “That means...back there, that _city –_ it might be one of the places where they’re runnin’ off of from.”

“...Like, their battery?” Hana asks, thoroughly confused at the newfound excitement the man radiated.

“No, no, like their...controller. I mean, uh.” He stops, lifting his hat and running a hand through his hair. “Listen. I have a theory, of sorts. The Omnics – you and I weren’t around when they went ape shit. Everyone that was thinks they went stir crazy after so many years of being abused and put through degradation but _I_ think, really, that somethin’ _else_ made ‘em go nuts.”

“Some _thing?_ ”

If it was possible, his grin would’ve reached his ears.

“What I’m tryin’ to say is, I think...I think there’s some kind of virus in ‘em. Overwritin’ their code, ‘er somethin’, and I’d bet my _gun_ that it was man-made. Whatever it is, it’s got a physical state – it can be _destroyed._ ”

Hana eyes him curiously. “When did you come up with that idea?”

“Long time ago.” He answers, staring at something she couldn’t quite see. “…Well, to be honest, it really ain’t _my_ idea. Someone I knew really well back then pitched it to me. They said..said somethin’ about the way the Omnics were before things went down. They actually fought with us, for a short while. When they suddenly started goin’ AWOL...it was like a sickness, he said. ‘Nd because we weren’t expecting all of ‘em to turn on us so suddenly, we were wiped out pretty damn easily.”

There’s a long period of silence before Hana speaks up again.

“Why would someone do that? _Create_ something like that?” She questions, her mind rolling over the many of _human_ deaths she’d laid witness to. “Why would anyone want to be the cause of so much _destruction_?”

Jesse’s expression turns grim. “That’s what happens when someone thinks they can play God.”

Hana looks at the ground, suddenly sick. She barely registers the sound of Jesse’s shoes scraping on the gravel as he looks to the stretch of road they’d been trailing for the past few hours. “I mean, I can still be wrong. Maybe the old guy was goin’ nuts, an’ they really were just sick of our shit. But hell, what do I know?” She can feel his eyes on her, and she meets them.

“So what do you want to do?” She finally asks.

He looks at the sky and lets out a long sigh. “I’m an impatient guy, I’ve gotta say. Can’t sit down for more than an hour before I want to get my ass on the road.”

Hana lifts a brow, but waits for him to continue.

He does. “’Nd right now, there’s nothing I’d rather do more than find whatever got toasted and blow it to hell a second time. But I’ve seen how many ships have been flockin’ to the city, and now that I know why – it’d be pretty damn stupid to go runnin’ in there, with all the security they got going ‘round the place.”

Hana looks behind them, eyes fixated somewhere she could no longer see. “You’d think the first one would’ve been powerful enough anyway, from the way it looked. No offense, but it’d be pretty hard to beat that.”

Jesse smirked. “You just don’t know me well enough, darlin’. I can be crafty when need be.”

“Now,” he says when she looks like she wants to retaliate, “I say we keep goin’ the way we are. Further away we are from here, the better. ‘Least, till everythin’ settles down.”

“They’ve got an eternity to guard that city, you know.”

Jesse shrugs, beginning to walk away. “The more time I have to think of a plan, the more I know it’s gonna work.”

“And, let’s say that one building really _is_ like, a house, for the… _virus_.” She breathes, having to make a quick jog to catch up with him. “What if there’s more of them? Like, _everywhere?_ ”

“Ray of goddamn sunshine, you are.” He grumbles. Peacekeeper, having been twirled around in his hands as they spoke, now found it’s way back into his pocket.

“I just don’t like being disappointed.” She defends, her fingers curling in her pockets when a particularly cutting wind blew by. “And it would make more sense for the virus, or whatever it is, to make more safe houses for itself. We blow one up? No problem, it’s got a backup home somewhere else.”

“...You’ve got a point. After as long as it’s been, I’m sure someone’s run into the same idea as we have and tried their own chances. If so, the virus definitely would’ve had a contingency plan in place by now. It’s pretty clear the thing is intelligent.” He tips his hat lower over his eyes as the sun glares down on them.

“Artificial, and all that.” Hana replies. “But I guess the only way to know if we’re even _half_ right is to try.”

“And that we will, once we’ve got a Plan A, B, all the way up to god damn Z if need be. We’re gonna need the power, too. I can fashion some bombs up nice and easy if I have what I need, and they’ll do shit loads a damage if they’re put near somethin’ that’ll double the impact.”

Hana looks at him from the corner of her eye. “And...you think that with a couple of bombs and a pistol, that we’ll be able to blow an entire communication center just like that?”

Jesse shrugs. “I s’pose we don’t really need to blow the _entire_ thing. It’ll probably be enough to cause a distraction and shut it down from the inside.”

He pauses for a few seconds. “That is, if you’re planning to come with me.”

Hana doesn’t let herself hesitate. “I want to. If there’s even a chance of taking them down – even if it’s just a _small_ part of them – I’ll take it. It’d be nice, to let people know that there’s still something we can do.”

“Like I said earlier. Balls of _steel._ ” Jesse laughs, earning another smile from the girl. “Well, since we’re in a good mood and all that right now, I think it’s a good time to announce that I have absolutely no idea where we’re going.”

Hana takes a second to process what he says before giving a small chuff. “It’s not like I do either. Just keep following the road, yeah? We’ve gotta run into _something,_ sooner or later.”

He hums. “Y’know what _I’d_ like to find? A car with a workin’ battery. Feet are fuckin’ killin’ me.”

Hana looks at the road in longing. “That’d be nice. I still have yet to actually ride in one.”

Jesse looks sympathetic. “I’ll make sure to look more often, then. It’s only a matter of time before their power completely burns out, anyway. I don’t know how they’ve lasted as long as they have but I’m damn grateful for it.”

“Not sure I’d want you to drive, though.” She says, remembering his story from earlier. “Sounds like you need some lessons.”  
  
“Darlin’, I’m a _damn_ good driver. I only hit what matters.”

“You mowed down a good portion of the field. Did those grass stalks matter?”  
  
“You bet. Fuckers ‘er growin’ like weeds.”

She can’t help it – she laughs. It doesn’t take long before Jesse joins in, trying to hide his behind a closed fist and a fake cough.

When she’s able to breath again she realizes just how _long_ it had been before she’d been able to laugh. It felt _good._

“Would ya look at that?” Jesse suddenly says and Hana breaks out of her revere to follow his gaze.

Badly rusted and bent slightly by consistent winds, a sign sits planted in the dirt by the road.

_**15 miles, XXX town ahead.** _

Someone had scratched over the original writing, but they weren’t deterred.

“We’ll make it soon as the sun goes down, I reckon.”

Hana meets his gaze and mirrors his smile. “Let’s go, then.”

* * *

 

Jesse had been right on the mark. As the sun sinks below the horizon, their first step into the town fills them with immense fatigue. On first glance the town is, of course, deserted. The cold, chill wind sends dust and old debris scurrying across their path.

“Think you’ll get your ammo here?” Hana whispers, unsure if it was okay to talk any louder in such a quiet place.

“Just might.” Jesse replies softly. “Follow me.”

He leads them onto the sidewalk and eventually stops in front of some kind of boarded up store. Hana stands behind him with vigilant eyes as he tries to snap off the building’s old door knob. Grunting in frustration, he gives a final kick and the door lunges open, slamming against the wall with a _bang._ Hana winces and glares at Jesse, who has the nerve to smile sheepishly and gesture inside. “Ladies first.”

She walks in carefully, eyeing the interior. On first inspection, it was clearly the remnants of a gun shop. The sign outside had broken apart after so many years of neglect; how Jesse had known this was a firearms store was beyond her.

He shuts the door quietly behind him before trotting over to join her. “You’ve got a gun too, right? Can’t miss the way yer hands are hoverin’ over it half the time.”

Hana quickly pulls her hand away from her pocket, slightly annoyed. “Nice to know you’re watching me so closely.”

Jesse snorts and shakes his head, holding out a hand. “It ain’t a bad thing, bein’ prepared. Lemme see it, I’ll find what it needs.”

Hana watches his face for a beat before reaching into her jeans and reluctantly dropping the gun into his waiting palm.

“Wait ‘ere, I’ll be back in a few.”

When his familiar figure disappears behind a corner, Hana allows herself a small sigh as she leans against a counter. There were bullet casings littering the floor, holes in the walls, cracks in the ceiling and overall the place looked like it’d witnessed one hell of a showdown.

There weren’t any guns on the shelves, hanging by the racks or even laying abandoned on the floor. Whoever had been here – whoever had _won,_ had ran the hell away once they had gotten what they wanted.

There’s a crash from the other room and a muffled curse that makes Hana’s eyes roll and she pushes herself away from the counter, padding over to the windows, studying the small cracks running down the glass. Beyond them, night had fallen even further and she could hardly see the road through the black veil. Back in the city, certain places had still retained their electricity; the Omnics made sure of that. There’d always be a path she’d follow, lit just enough for her to feel confident in where she was heading. Now, being cast into a new life of bright mornings and dark nights – it would take some adjusting, but she could handle it.

In her thoughtful state, she almost misses the subtle movement in the shadow of the building across the street. Her hands hit the window as she leans in and squints through the darkness. Was she seeing things? Or was this town not as abandoned as it had originally seemed?

There it is again- a cone of light runs over the side of the building she’s in and Hana ducks underneath the window, feeling an all too powerful sense of déjà vu course through her. There’s a scuff of shoes against the floor and Jesse decides it’s a good time to reappear around the corner, words about to form a sentence on his lips when a bullet shatters the glass above her head and hits him square in the shoulder. He yelps, Hana screams, and they both hit the floor.

It’s an endless rain, bullets streaming through the shattered remains of the window and hitting the wall behind the counter.

“What the _hell?_ ” Jesse hisses over the roar, holding a hand to his now bleeding shoulder.

“Was it a clean shot?” She immediately asks, readily reaching for her bag.

“Don’t bother,” he growls, hand held out to stop her. “This _sonovabitch_ needs to die first.”

“Jesse-” She starts to say, but the man gets to his knees and reaches for both the pistols he’d dropped in his surprise. He slides hers over to her, as well as a few tattered boxes of bullets. He wraps his hand around Peacekeeper and loads it, face set in a painfully angry grimace.

“Should’ve figured this place wouldn’t be empty. God damn things multiply by the hour.”

Hana slams a new clip into her gun and clicks off the safety, keeping it close to her chest. “What are we going to do? I-I think it’s a siege unit. Those are really hard to get past.”

The blood pooling down his shoulder is collecting underneath him in a small puddle as he thinks. “I’ve got an idea.” He looks at her. “I won’t force you to do anything you’re not comfor-”

“What’s the idea?” She interrupts, forcing herself to keep her finger off the trigger.

Jesse smiles for a brief second before his expression hardens. “The only way I see us killin’ this thing is to bait n’ run – in your case, you’ll be the bait, since you’re probably faster than me. Distract it, get it out of turret mode, and run like hell. When the shot is clear, I’ll aim for the head.”

“How long do you think we have before it tries to call for help?” She asks.

“It probably already has. We’ve got to move, _now._ ”

The rain above their heads finally stops, the last few casings scattering across the floor towards them.

Jesse pauses for a breath, then nods towards the hallway he’d previously emerged from. “There’s a back door we can leave through. We’ll circle ‘round, approach it from the side.”

Hana grunts in acknowledgment, and with one last glance towards the hole in the man’s shoulder, she crawls towards the door, Jesse hot on her heels. As soon as they pass the safety of the corner, Hana helps him up and with some difficulty, they push their way through the back door.

They stick to the shadows, slowly making their way around to where the stream of gunfire had originated from. Hana hears Jesse make some sort of wheeze when they finally stop on the other side of the street, not too far from their destination. She looks back at him, unable to mask her concern. “Will you be okay? If you think you’re going to miss-”

“I don’t miss, _ever._ ” He bites out, and after a beat he casts her a sorry glance. “Trust me, Hana.”

Hana blinks, nodding slowly. “I already do.”

He smiles gently. “I’ll be waitin’ here. Remember; soon as you round that corner, _duck._ ”

“Got it.” She returns his positivity with a shaky smile of her own before she slides around the edge of the apartment building they were stationed behind. The alley’s corridor is hauntingly long, and in her own near blindness she’s afraid the thing had already moved and would spot her any minute, turning on a dime and tearing her to shreds.

After a minute of relevant silence, she’s only half relieved to see that she was wrong. The thing is still in it’s spot, quiet and motionless and _still_ aiming at the window. One shot was all it would take to make her presence known, and then the chase would begin. Would it be faster then her? She’d never gotten in a fight with one of these before – she’s _seen_ them in action, but only in their combat forms.

Forcing herself to swallow, with her legs quivering softly below her, she aims her gun, lining it up with the red light protruding from it’s back. She closes her eyes, breathes, opens them, and fires.

It ricochets off of it’s armor and the thing is already swiveling the barrel of it’s gun towards her, and then she’s booking it down the concrete path.

She can hear it unfolding itself, can feel the heavy, yet slow stomp of it steadily approaching her. The walk down here had only taken a minute, but her heart was pounding and she could feel sweat gathering at the base of her neck. In any other situation, she’d chide herself for being such a coward; but anyone running from what _she_ was would definitely be just as frightened.

She stifles a cry as a bullet lodges itself in the wall next to her, putting a chip in the brick as she runs past it. She can see the checkpoint, only a few feet ahead. The thing is closer now, she can hear it. Did it have wheels on it, or something? How was something so _big_ and _heavy_ so damn _fast?_

Knowing she’d regret it, she spares a glance behind her, and is instantly met with a slit of glowing, maleficent red and a gun pointed straight at her back.

Then she ducks.

A bullet flies over her head and through the ringing in her ears, she can’t tell if it hit it’s target or not – she contemplates just lying there, trying to breathe normally when someone places their warm palm on her shoulder and she sees Jesse crouched beside her. He wasn’t looking at her, but rather at the Omnic behind her.

His bullet had struck it right in it’s ‘eye’, splitting the wires through it’s head and exiting through the other side. It hadn’t fallen – it had shut down standing up, gun still pointing forward but it’s head lowered to stare at her, intimidating even in death.

“T-Thanks,” She whispers, brushing the broken chunks of concrete off her hands as she stands. Then, a little louder, “You really are a good shot.”  
  
“Lots of practice.” He replies, looking at her. “Sorry you had to go through that – hell, it would’ve scared the shit out of _me,_ but it was the only way I could think-”

She was about to console him and claim that she was _fine,_ she could _handle_ things like this, when the deafening roar of an engine sounded from the distance.

“There’s a ship coming.” Jesse hisses, glaring at the metallic body with distaste. “Damn thing really _did_ call for help.”

She tugs on his good arm, leading them away from the scene. “We’ve got to find somewhere to hide, then. I need to treat your wound.”

He doesn’t offer any resistance as she leads him out of the alley. She makes sure they’re a good distance away from it before choosing a more simplistic hotel to enter. They’re unoriginal and decide to bunk in the first room, Hana setting Jesse down on the nearest bed and digging into her bag for a roll of bandages.

She returns to his side, hesitant hands helping him remove his shirt. The fabric clings to the wound, and it takes a little bit of pulling to free it.

She isn’t bothered by the blood, but seeing a decent sized hole in anyone’s shoulder is enough to make anyone uncomfortable. “So...I really don’t know anything else except for how to wrap a cut, but...since the bullet went straight through, it’s just got to be covered, right?”

She doesn’t wait for an answer and Jesse winces as she presses the bandage to his wound, circling it underneath his arm and over his shoulder. “I’m sure it’ll be fine. I’ve got no experience in medical either - ‘course, I ain’t never been shot this bad.”

Just to be safe, she ends up using the rest of the roll, which hadn’t had much on it to begin with, to completely cover the wound. Already, blood is soaking through the multiple layers, but Jesse doesn’t seem bothered by it.

She sits beside him, quiet. The sound of the ship had already stopped, leading them to think it had landed already.

“Think they’ll stay to try and look for us?” She asks, watching him.

Jesse sighs through his nose, legs dangling over the edge of the bed as lays on his back, one arm folded behind his head while the other lay gently on his chest. His eyes close. “They might. Fortunately, the curtains ‘er closed, and the door is locked. We’ve got a few measures in place. Reckon we’ll be fine ‘till morning.”

Hana gives the closed curtains a lingering glance before settling herself into her own bed. Neither of them had covers, or even pillows. Whoever had taken them had obviously wanted to sleep in comfort somewhere that wasn’t in a cheap, ratty hotel.

She looks down, grimacing at the stains in the carpet.

_At least we aren’t sleeping on the floor._

She turns herself onto her back. She can hear them outside. Walking around, breaking windows and rummaging through buildings. Searching for them.

Jesse is already snoring peacefully on the other mattress and she’s envious. How could he sleep so easily knowing the threat was right outside their window?

After a few minutes of staring at the brown splotched ceiling, she groans quietly to herself. Sighing, she sits up and walks to the small chair on the other side of the room. She pulls it along behind her and leans it against the door, underneath the knob. Then, with minimal effort, she pushes the single dresser in the room in front of the door, next to the chair. It wouldn’t stop them, but at least they’d be able to grab their guns and defend themselves should they try to force their way through.

Feeling a little more content, she plops herself back onto her mattress and uses her bag as a makeshift pillow. The noises outside were becoming quieter, and further away. They’d probably be back to check their section of the street – but before then, she just wanted to get some much needed sleep.

Closing her eyes, her muscles finally relax and her brow unfurrows.

Eventually, she’s out like a light.

* * *

 

Jesse is awake before her. When her eyes open for the first time that morning, she’s greeted with a still shirtless Jesse and a small bag of... _something_ beside her head.

“I have my own food, y’know.” She mumbles groggily, lifting herself from her comfortable position. Half of her wants to go back to sleep, while the other half is screaming for her to get her ass in gear and get the hell out of dodge.

“Well, I found a couple packets of those cracker things in one of the table drawers, so might as well preserve what we’ve already got.”

She opens the bag and takes a small bite. “Eugh, they’re stale.”

Jesse laughs, muffled by the food in his mouth. “Yeah, kinda.”

She finishes the bag of grossly stale crackers as he pulls on his shirt. “How’s your shoulder doing?” She asks, shoving the empty bag into her pack and throwing it over her shoulders.

“Hurts like a bitch, still. But it stopped bleeding.”

He throws his own bag over his untouched shoulder and turns to her. “Thanks for takin’ care of it.”

Hana smirks. “You don’t have to thank me. We’re partners now, aren’t we?”

“Damn straight, darlin’.” He carries himself over to the curtains and draws them back slightly, peering out of the tiny opening. “Right. I don’t see anything outside, and it’s just barely sunrise, so we should be able to blend in for about thirty minutes or so, if we’re fast.”

Hana nods and stands, watching him carefully remove the chair, push the dresser away and open the door, peeking around the side of the wood. He hadn’t questioned her about the blockade she’d made last night, and she was grateful for it.

He motions for her to follow him, leading them through the hall and into the main lobby. There was no sign anyone had been there last night. “Either they left, or they just haven’t gotten to this place yet.” Jesse comments, leaning over the front desk to check for anything useful beneath it.

“Hopefully the former.” Hana replies, gazing out of one of the windows. “I don’t see anything out front, either. I think it’s safe to leave.”

Jesse pulls away from the desk and opens the door, letting Hana pass him before shutting it gently behind him.

“I think we should head north, find some small place to shack up in for a while. Couldn’t find shit for bombs in that gun store, and I don’t exactly feel safe lootin’ anywhere else here.”

He looks behind them, scanning the street. “What do you say?”

“You’re the adult, _you_ decide.”

Jesse looks at her, smirking. “Now she admits it.”

Hana pushes past him, amused. “Physically, I mean. There’s no way you’re more mature than I am.”

“Put your money where you mouth is, darlin’.”

They bicker back and forth quietly to each other, a welcome distraction as the sun slowly rises into the sky.

It’s not long before they’re almost out of the town, sneaking past the last few houses when Jesse stops, eyeing something in the distance.

Hana’s paranoia immediately kicks up and she follows his gaze. “What is it?”  
  
Jesse looks at her, calm as ever. “You said you’ve never been in a car, right?”

“Yeah, but, what’s that got to do with anything?”

He grins at her, pointing to a car driven half way up the sidewalk a few feet across from them. “Well, I’m gonna teach you a little somethin’. See the lights on the tires? If those ‘er still glowin’, then the car’s still workin’.”

He looks genuinely excited, and it rubs off on her when she watches him look both ways before jogging across the street, opening the car’s front door and turning back only to wave her over.

She giggles a little to herself at his expression as she walks to join him. He looks like he just received the best gift of his life – it was uplifting.

As she tucked herself into the passenger seat, she was bombarded by the smell of old leather and dust but she couldn’t care less. She was in a _car._

“Whoever used to own this left their keys; not a very bright move.” He turns them sideways in the ignition, and Hana jumps when the vehicle roars to life, vibrating gently beneath her.

Jesse watches her reaction and smiles reassuringly. “It ain’t dangerous, trust me. I’ll drive nice for ya – long as we’re not gettin’ tailed. But since it’s your first time an’ all, you _might_ get a little motion sick. It’s normal, though.”

Hana just nods, too caught up in tracing the beautiful, glowing lines that were etched into the car door.

She sinks into the seat, comfortable. They weren’t being followed, and they wouldn’t have to walk for hours on end for a while. She could get used to this.

She’s almost positive that her day is going to go flawlessly when an arrow suddenly strikes the windshield and embeds itself halfway through the glass, inches from her face.

The only thing she can make out of her sudden onslaught of thoughts and Jesse’s distracting cursing is,

 _Who the hell uses a_ bow  _anymore?_


	3. Chapter 3

“Don’t move.” Jesse whispers, and Hana very much wants to do just the opposite, but she forces herself to stay in her seat, eyes darting from the approaching figure in the distance to the arrow in the windshield that nearly impaled her in the face.

“Can’t you just run him over?” She replies breathlessly, almost panicked.

“That was a warnin’ shot.” He replies, quiet. “Not too keen on findin’ out this guy’s _real_ aim.”

There’s a scuff of shoes on the street as someone stops in front of the car. It was definitely the guy who’d shot at them, if the bow in his hands wasn’t enough of a give away – an arrow was already nocked back, aimed directly at them.

“Get out.” Is all he says, and they waste no time in complying.

Jesse’s out first, hands raised slightly. “Easy, partner. We ain’t enemies.”

“That remains to be seen.” The man replies coolly, far too calm for the situation. “Not only did you manage to send recon ships to the town last night, but you mean to take my only means of transportation, as well.”

“How were we supposed to know it was yours? This place is empty!” Hana defends, trying not to flinch when his eyes settle on her. “...And we didn’t know they’d send that many ships, either.”

“We were attacked first – and the thing called for help when we fought back. Not much we could do about that.” Jesse starts, lowering his hands. “You can relax. The car’s yours.”

“Naturally.” The man mutters, but he’s finally content enough to let his arms drop and the bow to dip towards the ground. He doesn’t look completely satisfied, but he didn’t seem like he was about to lunge at them, either.

He dips his head slightly, gesturing with his hand behind them as if giving permission to leave. “Then there is nothing to worry about.”

Hana considers themselves lucky they hadn’t run into anyone overly hostile. The fact that he’d shot at them in the first place was unnecessary, especially for a _car_ when walking was just as perfectly easy to do, in her mind’s eye – but she knew next to nothing about out here anyway – so who was she to judge?

She’s more than happy to let the conversation drop there, and she tugs on Jesse’s sleeve. “We’ve got a long road ahead of us, right? Might as well start now. Preferably _before_ they come for a second round.”

Jesse isn’t even looking at her. He’s staring at the ink adorning the man’s arm, brows furrowed in thought. “...Yeah.” He replies, distantly. The other guy is still watching them, nowhere near comfortable enough to turn his back to them. She’s still got a grip on his shirt when Jesse suddenly stands upright, hand on his back as he stretches. He’s trying to look casual, and Hana already knows he’s going to do something she isn’t going to like.

“Well, I guess that’s it – oh, but, one more thing, before we go – you don’t seem like you’ve got anythin’ on you – supplies wise, I mean.” His head is leaning to the side now, his eyes shining with a hidden motive. “I might as well warn ya, there’s nothin’ here. No food, and nothin’ you can craft up some of your fancy arrows with.” He shrugs, scratching at his chin. “Tryin’ to be helpful, since you didn’t actually kill us or anythin’; don’t want you wastin’ anymore time here than you have to.”

“I was already aware of this, come last night.” The man replies. “I will find what I need elsewhere.” He takes a step backwards, shifting his weight on his feet. It was obvious he wanted to leave, but he was waiting on them to make the first move.

“I dunno where you came from,” Jesse replies, lips twitching. “But there ain’t shit for miles ‘round here – least, not where we came from.” He casts a glance at the car, biting at his cheek. “’Course, there’s a way I can help with that.” The bag on his shoulder is placed gently on the ground.

“...You want a compromise.” The man supplies. He’s stopped shifting, watching Jesse carefully. “Even after what has just transpired. You are quick to trust.”  
  
Jesse huffs. “Ain’t really _trust._ More like, you don’t seem like too bad of a guy, I’m _damn_ tired of walkin’, and I’d like to leave this place in the dust.” He points behind him. “’An the way I see it, you’re the only one with a car, and we’re the only ones with medical and food. Sounds fair, don’t it?”

The guy looks more than skeptical. “I shot at you not minutes ago. It is not hard to believe you would have me dead the minute my back is turned.”

“If I even _wanted_ to do that, you and I _both_ know the minute I whip a gun outta my pocket there’s gonna be an arrow through my skull.” Jesse replies, and Hana’s shocked at the blatant admittance of the skill difference – here she was, thinking he was full of pride. “Just take us a little ways up, an’ we’ll be outta your hair.”

She doesn’t like the idea. Sure, not walking still sounded absolutely _amazing_ to her, and it would give her ample time to relax a little – but not only was Jesse suggesting that they ride in a small, cramped space with a total stranger, but with the one who’d just almost given her a _nose job._

The guy doesn’t seem too happy with it either, but he’s giving subtle glances to the bag and it’s obvious that he’s conflicted. “You have another one of these, yes?” He’s looking at Hana’s own bag. “If you give me one of them, I will take you wherever you need to go.”

“Deal.” Jesse replies without hesitation. He passes the bag over to the man, who takes one quick look over it before securing his bow to his back and throwing the pack over his shoulder. He nods at the car, and the two walk ahead of him.

“Where are you trying to go?” He asks, sitting himself in the driver’s seat and looking only mildly uncomfortable as Jesse settles himself into the passenger seat beside him.

Jesse shoots a look at Hana, and she shrugs. “I guess...just follow the road? We need a place that hasn’t been emptied yet.”

“That will be hard to find.” The guy comments, but he steps on the gas anyway and they’re rolling through the town, wind whistling through the hole in the windshield that the arrow had made (which Jesse had removed with a not-so-decent look at the man who’d created it.) “I came here _because_ I could not find anywhere else.”

“Where were you thinkin’ of headin’ when you found out here was a bust?” Jesse asks, rubbing his shoulder and masking a wince when he pushes a bit too hard.

The man shrugs. “I _was_ going to leave yesterday, until I heard the ships fly in.” He gives Jesse a side glance. “Is that how you received your wound?”

If Jesse was surprised that he’d noticed, he doesn’t show it. “Got nicked in the surprise attack. Don’t bother me much, anymore.” He replies, and Hana resists the urge to roll her eyes at the obvious lie.

She watches him turn a little in his seat, arms folded across his chest to face the other man. “Anyway, now that you ain’t tryin’ to kill us, I don’t suppose we can’t introduce ourselves?”

“Seeing as our trip might not be as brief as I had hoped, it would make sense.” The guy mutters, eyes fixated on the road ahead of them.

Jesse shrugs off the guy’s negativity, throwing his feet up on the dash with a content sigh. “Well, since you ain’t gonna go first – name’s Jesse McCree.” He points a thumb behind him at Hana, who was far too interested in watching the buildings slowly start to disperse to join their conversation. “That’s Hana.”

The man spares her a quick glance in the rear view, expression unreadable. He doesn’t say anything for a minute as he swerves around a few forlorn cars, navigating them through the town’s exit. They were out of it now, surrounded by the increasingly familiar view of green fields and broken telephone lines.

“Hanzo.” He finally says, his shoulders dropping a little. Jesse fully expects the discussion to end there, so he gives a grunt of acknowledgment as he tips his hat lower over his eyes in preparation of a nap – but he finds himself to be pleasantly surprised when ‘Hanzo’ speaks up again.

“How did you two meet?”

Jesse perks up a bit, trying not to look too interested. “Oh, uh, I found her comin’ out of the woods right after I’d shot down an Omnic. Invited her to join me an’ it went from there.”

“Totally not how it went.” Hana cuts in, earning a chuckle. “In _simple_ ways, maybe. How it _really_ went, was that this guy somehow saw me coming through the trees, threatened me-”

“I did _not_ threaten you.” Jesse defends, shooting her a bemused glance. “Now yer just makin’ shit up.”

“Okay, it _felt_ like you were – I come out and you’re sitting there with a gun in your hands and a body at your feet. It definitely _looked_ threatening.”   
  
He shrugs, grinning. “Can’t help that.”

Hana sniffs. “Anyway, I think we were talking about that explosion I saw in the city, when he suddenly offers me to join him. Thinking back on it, I’m surprised I said yes, ‘cause you know, we knew each other for a whole of ten minutes-”

“And apparently I _was_ pretty threatenin’.” Jesse adds, snickering when she throws him a half-hearted glare.

“-and for all I knew, he could’ve just lured me somewhere and killed me – but hey, fifty-fifty chances don’t sound so bad when you’ve been cooped up in one place for so long and don’t know shit about the real world. I needed a guide.” She sighs, letting herself fall against the door. “Ugh, that was a stressful day.”

“’Yer tellin’ me. First my only ride in years gets creamed in a field, an’ then this kid shows up, an’ me bein’ me, I can’t live with a guilty conscience of leavin’ behind stray youngsters like that.” Jesse dodges a foot aimed for his face and laughs. “I’m only _kiddin_ ’, darlin’.”

“I’ll show _you ‘_ kiddin’’, McCree.” Hana grins, snatching his hat before he could react and pulling it over her head. “You’re too _old_ and _slow_ to take on someone as _young_ and _fast_ as me.”

“I’ll hold you to that when we’re outta this car.” He snorts, making no move to take his hat back. He turns to address Hanzo, question on his tongue when he freezes; the archer’s lips were pulled into a barely noticeable curve – he’d obviously found their bickering to be amusing, and Jesse wasn’t too keen on ruining the image. Instead, he wears a soft smile of his own as he folds his arms behind his head and settles further into the seat, closing his eyes. “Well, seein’ as we’ve probably got a long ass way to go, I think I’ll pass out for a while. Wake me, if you need me to take over.” He doesn’t think the guy would, seeing how territorial he was earlier, but it didn’t hurt to offer. There’s no reply and he mentally shrugs it off, exhaling deeply as he lets himself drift into sleep.

Meanwhile, Hana’s debating between actually attempting a different conversation with the new guy or knocking out herself. She isn’t too worried about going to sleep and not waking up again, at least, not anymore – but she felt curious about him, and couldn’t help wanting to know more.

“Where’d you learn how to use the bow?” She finally asks, avoiding his gaze in the mirror as she tries to look interested in the barren scenery beyond the window.

“I learned about the bow from someone else, but taught myself how to use it.” Hanzo answers, and he spares a look at the weapon laying at his feet. “I have preferred nothing else.”

“That’s pretty neat,” She replies, and mentally kicks herself because that had sounded so disinterested-

“Do you have arrows that work against Omnics, too?”

“Naturally, or I would not have survived this long.”

_Okay, smart-ass._

“Are you good with _your_ weapon?” He turns the conversation onto her.

“...I actually haven’t even shot it, yet. I’ve had enough chances – I’ve just, uh. Preferred not to take them.” She scratches at her arm, suddenly itchy under the stare that she _knows_ he’s giving her.

“You will never find yourself getting used to it if you never actually... _use_ it.” He says, and she almost replies with a sarcastic remark when she remembers who exactly she’s talking to.

“...You’re right. I’ll have to use it eventually, anyway. Can’t keep getting lucky forever.”

“Some luck would actually be nice.” He mumbles, and she’s content to let a long silence float between them when she thinks of another question. “Um, kind of a huge leap in topics here, but, what do you think about all this?”

“...The situation us three are in?” He asks, brow raised.

“No, I mean- I mean the Omnic take over thingy. Like, how do _you_ think it happened?”

Now he’s visibly confused. “Why are you bringing up such an old question?”

“Jesse threw me a theory not too long ago and I’m only just now reminding myself about it. Might as well hear other people’s, right? Especially if he and I want to- uh, do...what we’re gonna do.”

He doesn’t ask her to elaborate, but it’s clear he wants to. “What exactly... _is_ his theory?”

“He says...he _thinks_ something else is controlling them, like...a bug in their code, that’s making them do what they’re doing.” She shrugs. “To me, it doesn’t sound hard to believe, but.”

He doesn’t say anything for a minute, his fingers tapping lightly against the steering wheel.

“Do you know what a God Program is?” He finally asks, catching her eye in the mirror.

She fidgets with the hem of her jacket, pulling her gaze to the loose strings. “...Can’t say that I do. What is it?”

“It is what I, and a few people I met quite a while ago, believe to be the cause of this war.” He pauses, and he’s got her full attention now. “It is an AI – distinguishable above all the rest for it’s overwhelming intelligence and interest in self preservation – something that was created by man, undoubtedly by someone who held an ulterior motive.”

“Wait, so you’re saying...that the Omnic are being controlled by like, an alpha Omnic?”

“It is not corporeal – it does not possess a physical body. I do not know where it’s base of location is, or if it even has more than one.” He shifts in his seat. “It is the most plausible theory I have heard thus far, however.”

“Who told you that?” Hana asks, pulling her legs up over the seat to lay them across. “Just some strangers?”

“People who were dedicated to solving the problem.” He offers, shrugging despite himself. “It was a smaller group. I had stayed with them for a few days to catch my bearings after-” He stops, tongue running over his bottom lip. “They’ve probably amassed quite a few people since then. They were very impressive – they knew quite a lot.” Whatever he was going to say, he had easily skipped over it, and Hana wasn’t going to question it.

She thought for a minute. A group of people, who probably knew exactly what was going on – and someone who shared a common goal with her and Jesse – would definitely be useful.

“Do you know where they are?” She asks hopefully. If they were popular, they’d probably be easier to keep tabs on; and be even easier to find.

Unfortunately, Hanzo shakes his head apologetically. “The last time I had seen them was years ago, somewhere in Florida – they had spoken of a headquarters, but I never thought to ask where it was.”

She has to force herself not to look disappointed. “What else did you learn about them?” She asks. “Anything you remember. It could give me a clue.”

Hanzo’s quiet as he thinks, eyes searching for memories. “I am afraid I can not recall anything useful. Those days in particular are hard to re-imagine. However,” He adds at seeing her defeated look, “If you were to look to the city I had found them in – perhaps you would find something.”

“ _Another_ city?” Hana mutters distastefully. “As if I haven’t had enough of those.”

Hanzo looks at her quizzically, but she just shrugs and falls back against the seat. “It’s probably not even worth it.”

“It should only be some hours away, if you are willing to try.” He offers. “I will even direct you to the exact place.”

“Isn’t that a waste of the car’s battery _and_ your time, though?” She mumbles, too tired to care if it sounded rude.

“There are some things I can do there myself. It will be equally beneficial.”

She looks as Jesse, sleeping soundly in what looked to be a mildly discomforting position.

“I guess.” She eventually replies. “Just a few hours?”

Hanzo nods. “These kinds of cars were known to very fast – and seeing as how we are already almost out of South Carolina, it is easy to say that we will be in Florida before night falls.”

She slides her back down the door, curling around herself in the seat. She doesn’t want to lug her heavy pack over the side, so she settles for using her arms as makeshift pillows. “Thanks.” She says, softly. “For giving us a ride, and uhm...answering my questions.”

Hanzo’s stoic expression morphs into a small smile. “It is the least I could do, given our...first introduction.”

Hana can’t help the small laugh that escapes her. “Could've been worse.”

He returns his attention to the road, and she closes her eyes. It’s only then that she remembers she’d been wearing Jesse’s hat the entire time; she feels only a little bit embarrassed for herself, but pulls it over her eyes anyway.

If they were going to be driving for as long as Hanzo had said, she really didn’t want to be awake for it – her stomach was already complaining.

* * *

 

She’s woken by light tapping on the window above her head, and she opens her eyes to see water streaking down the glass. The sky outside was dark, black clouds engulfing the sun and killing any viable light. Now she’s _really_ glad they didn’t have to walk – doing it in rain was a royal pain in the ass.

She pulls herself into a sitting position, rubbing her eyes with her hands as she yawned. Jesse was awake, now; he was actually deep in a discussion with Hanzo, from what she could infer. Judging by the topic, it sounded like he was relaying to Jesse what he had to her before she’d passed out.

“-s’pose it ain’t a bad idea. How populated is it?”

“It was not _empty,_ but it was not full, either. You will still have to maintain a high guard.”

“Best to have that regardless of where you go.” Jesse quips, and it’s only then that he notices Hana’s stirring. “Oh, she’s awake. After _noon_ , ma’am.”

She ignores him, addressing Hanzo. “How close are we?”

“We are nearly there. As soon as we go through the tunnel, you will be able to spot it.”

As he talks, the rain suddenly stops and the car’s growl is echoing around them; they’d just entered the underpass. The only light to guide them through the dark is the remaining headlight on the car, and Hana sincerely wishes that Hanzo had amazing night vision.

She finds herself so entirely focused on counting the amount of seconds it takes to breach the exit that she’s utterly blinded when they finally break through, the amount of flickering light radiating off the city’s towering buildings enough to induce a seizure.

“Jesus _fuck-”_ She hears Jesse choke out, and the car slams to a halt as Hanzo hits the brakes. They’re leaning over the dash and looking up, and Hana finds herself sliding in between them to follow their gaze.

The sky is _covered_ in ships, and she can feel her heart start to sink into her stomach. “Why....” Is the only thing she can manage in her stupor.

“Somethin’ tells me it wasn’t like this when you were here.” Jesse mutters, and Hanzo’s lips form a grim line.

“You would be correct.” He turns to look at them. “Do you still want to go in?”

Jesse looks to Hana, and she can feel her hands shake as she holds them in her lap. “I’m willing to do it...if we can find these guys, I feel like we’ll stand a better chance.” She shrugs halfheartedly. “But it’s up to you, Jesse.”

“I’m not gonna do anythin’ you aren’t comfortable with, Hana.” Is his reply, but he locks eyes with Hanzo and nods. “But I agree with what she said – s’long as we’re careful, anyway, we’ll make it out alright.”

The car slowly starts to roll forward again, and Hanzo guides them to the border of the city. He pulls them into a garage, safely hidden from any prying eyes. He’s silent for a minute, hand still on the gear shift. Then he opens his door and steps out, Jesse quick to follow him.

“Where’s the place at?” He asks, opening Hana’s door for her and making sure to snatch his hat off her head as she steps out.

Hanzo has their other pack on his shoulder and bow on his back as he points to the east. “Not too far from here. It is located underneath an old parking garage.”

“That’s where they hung out at?” Hana asks, her own pack in her arms. “Underground seems pretty smart.” As they exit the garage, the sky comes into view again and she shrinks back a little. “Though I can see why they left...”

“Move slow and deliberate, and they will not notice you.” Hanzo says without turning around. “We should only have to watch for the ones on the ground.”

They pass over the street onto the other side, flitting in between stores and apartment buildings as they delve deeper into the city’s depths. Hana starts to consider Hanzo’s idea of ‘not to far’ is quite a bit off when it finally comes into view. A large five story parking garage, almost cut cleanly in half with a fallen ship laying in the wreckage.

“Damn.” Jesse whistles. “Was that your buddies doin’?”

“It does not look old enough.” Hanzo mutters, leading them closer to the remains. “Unless they have been here recently, I have my doubts.”

He ducks under a discarded wing, waving them towards him. A few feet underneath was a metal door, which wouldn’t have been noticeable if there wasn’t a sizable dent in the material.

It takes a few seconds of shoving on both the men’s part before it finally swings open, one of the hinges snapping off and leaving the door to hang on only one.

Hanzo toys with something on the wall that she can’t see and suddenly the place is swathed in artificial light, causing her to blink a few times to regain her bearings.

It had to have been some kind of engineer room in the past, from all the generators and old tools that littered the place. There was a table in the midst, covered in papers and pens. That was the first thing Hana found herself drawn to, fingers grabbing the top most page and scrolling through it.

Jesse stops beside her, surveying the scene. “Old newspaper clippings, maps...” He picks up one of the heavily marked papers. “Well, that’s useful.”

“What is it?” Hanzo asks, pausing at the other side of the table.

“It’s a map of _this_ city. It’s got stores n’ shit labeled.” He passes it off to the man, who takes it carefully.

Hana drops the clipping in her hand and looks around the room. There was an old computer in the corner, a pile of years old trash in the other, and-

On the adjacent wall, it was completely barren – sans for the barely distinguishable ink that was printed neatly across it. Someone had left it there; probably for other members of the group.

“Guys, look.” She walks towards it and holds a finger underneath the text, Hanzo right behind her.

_**kolo ofr hte pma.** _

“Is that another language, or something?” She asks, moving back to allow Hanzo nearer.

He squints at the words for a minute, before walking back to the table and grabbing a blank paper and pencil. He scribbles something onto it and Hana steps back to peer over his shoulder. He wrote the same thing on the wall, but he was doing something below it-

“They scrambled it,” She whispers, watching him work. “The Omnics wouldn’t look twice at that. That’s smart.”

“Indeed.” He scratches down the last word and pulls back to look at it.

“ _Look for the map_?” Hana reads. “Which _one?_ ”

“ _Shit._ ” Jesse bites out, and the other two whirl around in alarm.

He’s got a paper in his hands and he turns it towards them.

It was a map. Of Russia. And on top of it, marked in nice, bright red ink, was a cheery, _“Meet us here!”_

Hana’s eyes go wide and she hears Jesse force in a breath of air. “I, uh...I think we’re gonna need a ship.”

 


End file.
